US President Donald Trump orders review of lifting sanctions against Iran: Rex Tillerson

US President Donald Trump orders review of lifting sanctions against Iran: Rex Tillerson

US President Donald Trump has ordered an inter-agency review of whether the lifting of sanctions against Iran under a 2015 nuclear deal was in the United States' national security interests, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Tuesday.

Tillerson said in a statement that Iran remained compliant with its commitments under the deal to rein in its nuclear programme but there were concerns about its role as a state sponsor of terrorism. (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump has ordered an inter-agency review of whether the lifting of sanctions against Iran under a 2015 nuclear deal was in the United States’ national security interests, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Tuesday. Tillerson said in a statement that Iran remained compliant with its commitments under the deal to rein in its nuclear programme but there were concerns about its role as a state sponsor of terrorism.

He said he had notified U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, the top Republican in Congress, of the decision on Tuesday and of Iran’s compliance under the deal, clinched under the Obama administration.

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“President Donald J. Trump has directed a National Security Council-led interagency review of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that will evaluate whether suspension of sanctions related to Iran pursuant to the JCPOA is vital to the national security interests of the United States,” Tillerson said in the statement.

“It remains a leading state sponsor of terror, through many platforms and methods,” Tillerson said. The 2015 deal between Iran and six major powers restricts Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic.